1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of automatic animal feeding and watering devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Animals cared for in a commercial setting, such as dogs owned by security companies, tend to benefit from multiple caretakers with sufficient human presence to ensure feed and water are delivered on time and in the quantities required. Pet owners, however, may not always be able to deliver this quality care either due to schedule or vacation. This poses a significant problem especially when the dog serves the dual purpose of being a pet and a guard of the property.
It is not feasible to remove the dog and place him in a shelter or by a friend since the property remains unguarded. The alternative entails getting someone familiar with the animal to attend to its dietary needs on a daily basis. This can prove quite challenging especially if the dog is temperamental and dangerous. The other limitation of this approach is that it allows others to be familiar with the property guard and poses a security risk.
Several patents have been filed to address the problem of animal feeding, however, they do fall short in one area or another.
There are several approaches to the metering and delivery of dry food. One of the simplest means is a basic flap opening under a hopper that is actuated by a solenoid or motor as presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,634, 5,794,560 and 6,196,158. This system is simple but the likelihood of sealing the opening once it is opened is low since food pellets will inevitably become lodged between the sealing plate and hopper. In addition to this it is unlikely the same quantity of food will be reliably delivered when the hopper is full as opposed to nearly empty.
Rotating slotted disks have found favor with some designers. They work on the principle that a specified amount of food is captured and transported per rotation. Good examples of this approach are presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,292,930, 4,324,203 and 6,427,628. These systems are relatively accurate but incur shear planes as they rotate. Should a food pellet become lodged at this interface two possible scenarios can occur; the pellet can be crushed or the mechanism can fail. Neither occurrence is of benefit with the consequences ranging from compromising the integrity and quantity of food delivered to a complete lack of food delivery and possible equipment damage. Should the food be crushed high vibration and wear on the equipment can be expected which will surely impact negatively on its useful life.
Rotating blade systems have also been proposed utilizing inflexible blades that direct feed either inward as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,020,980, 5,622,467 and 6,681,718 or outward, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,688. These systems do eliminate the shear planes previously described. They are, however, incapable of providing an effective vapor seal and as such allow atmospheric humidity to compromise the integrity of the stored feed. This lack of seal also allows vermin to get into the feed.
Water pumps have been proposed to circulate water from a reservoir through filter media and into a consumption receptacle thereby improving the quality of water delivered to an animal. Good examples of this approach are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,762,211 and 6,928,954. While this method has its benefits it does not solve the problem of disposing of the organic particulate matter that collects in the water as an animal consumes. Instead of disposal the particulate matter is trapped in a filter and as such contaminates the water as it decomposes.